Nationality American Occupation Theologian, academic | Spouse(s) Edna Lois Cooper Name John Benton | |
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Religion Methodist Episcopal Church, South Parent(s) Arthur Franklin BentonMartha Frederick Resting place Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery | ||
John Keith Benton (May 24, 1896 – August 21, 1956) was an American theologian and university administrator. He served as the Dean of the Vanderbilt University Divinity School from 1939 to 1956.
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Early life
John Keith Benton was born on May 24, 1896 in Banks, Alabama. His father was Arthur Franklin Benton and his mother, Martha Frederick.
Benton graduated from Birmingham–Southern College, where he received a bachelor of arts degree. He received a bachelor of divinity degree from Yale University, followed by a PhD from Edinburgh University in Scotland.
Career
Benton was a Professor of Philosophy and Psychology at Drew University in the 1930s.
Benton served as the Dean of the Divinity School at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee from 1939 to 1956. In 1951, he rejected the application of the first black student at Vanderbilt University, only to accept him in 1953 with the caveat that he was not allowed to have access to the dorms or dining facilities. During that period, in 1952, he had been asked by Chancellor Harvie Branscomb (1894–1998) to look at the admission policies of other theological schools in the South.
Benton served as the Executive Secretary of the American Association of Theological Schools. He was elected President of the American Association of Theological Seminaries in 1950. Additionally, he was a Fellow of the National Council on Religion in Higher Education.
In 1949, he received an Honorary Doctor of Divinity from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.
Personal life
Benton married Edna Lois Cooper (1907–1999). The wedding took place at the First Methodist Church of Lubbock, Texas. They honeymooned in New Mexico and Colorado. They resided in Madison, New Jersey, before they moved to Nashville.
Death and legacy
Benton died on August 21, 1956 in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Benton Chapel on the campus of Vanderbilt University is named in his honor. It was built in 1959 as part of the John Frederick Oberlin Divinity Quadrangle.